1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rope light and more particularly to such a rope light having a multi-circuit arrangement with improved characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, lamps on a single-circuit of a rope light can be turned on/off by means of a controller coupled between two electrical wires. Also, lamps on a double-circuit of the rope light can be turned on/off by means of the controller coupled among three electrical wires (i.e., increase of an additional electrical wire). Likewise, three-circuit of the rope light can be turned on/off by means of the controller coupled among four electrical wires, etc. In an extreme example, six-circuit of the rope light can be turned on/off by means of the controller coupled among seven electrical wires, resulting in a bulkiness of the rope light.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,406,166, 6,527,412, and 6,502,955 there are disclosed a chasing rope light. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,166 (the prior art) is characterized in that two illuminating units each having a plurality of illuminators (e.g., LEDs) are provided in a single-circuit of the rope light having two electrical wires, and three (or four) illuminating units are provided in a double-circuit (or multi-circuit) thereof having three electrical wires (see FIGS. 4, 5 and 6). Also, a diode is provided in each of the illuminating units. The diode is adapted to permit current to flow in only one direction in a conducted state if a sufficient voltage is applied thereon. As shown, any two adjacent diodes are disposed oppositely with respect to polarity. As such, the purpose of controlling the lightening sequence of the illuminating units in a multi-circuit arrangement of the rope light can be obtained. In other words, the lightening sequence of the illuminating units in the multi-circuit arrangement of the rope light is totally controlled by diodes which are thus essential to the prior art.
However, the prior art, by incorporating a plurality of diodes, suffered from several disadvantages. For example, (1) the prior art did not know that an LED is also adapted to permit current to flow in only one direction in a conducted state if a sufficient voltage is applied thereon. Thus, provision of LEDs as illuminators is sufficient to control the lightening sequence of the illuminating units. In other words, provision of diodes as on/off device in controlling the lightening sequence of the illuminating units is not necessary. To the worse, it results in an increase in the manufacturing cost, an increase of size, and a limitation on the number of circuits in the rope light.
(2) As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 of the prior art, the illuminators are preferably implemented as LEDs as described in the specification. Instead, the illuminators are lamps as shown. Hence, it is concluded that the LEDs as described in the specification are simply lamp-based LEDs. Typically, the lamp-based LED or simply lamp has two rigid pins adapted to fixedly insert in a circuit board rather than that described in FIGS. 3 and 7 which show the lamps are coupled in series. The pins of the illuminators have to be bent outward to couple to the conductive wire prior to wrapping around the electrical wires 20A, 20B (see FIGS. 3 and 7). Thus, two problems are occurred. One is that the pins are susceptible of damage in the bending process. As such, the lamp, as encapsulated by epoxy, tends to malfunction in bending. It is known that the pin is rigid while the electrical wire is non-rigid. Hence, when the electrical wire is wrapped around the pin it is very difficult (or even impossible) of tightly securing them together, though the pins are not damaged by bending. Such wrapping is not reliable as viewed by an experienced electrical technician. Instead, per wire connecting rules of electrical engineering it requires that first mounts a small copper socket in the pins of a LED, and then secures them together by soldering in order to fasten the pins and the electrical wire together. This has a benefit of being capable of withstanding an increased stress. However, the technique of mounting the socket in the pins has disadvantages of being tedious, time consuming, and cost ineffective, though it is applicable.
(3) Of course, it is possible of wrapping a wire around the pins of the lamp-based LED. However, in view of the accompanying drawings of the prior art, such coupled LEDs may be too large to mount in the rope light, though it is applicable in view of FIG. 3. However, as shown in FIG. 7, a portion of the long pin is exposed. Hence, a bending of the LED will cause a short circuit in the exposed portion of the pin. Moreover, the illuminators are preferably LEDs as described in the specification. But, there is no disclosure about how to avoid the use of diode and stress exerted on the pins and the rope light.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an improved rope light in order to overcome the above drawbacks of the prior art.